Chapter 144: Luna Selene

SELENE’S POV

A week later, I was a multimillionaire.

William had said it was only the beginning, and I hadn’t really accepted or believed it at the time .. but now I was beyond surprised. We had sold millions of copies of that single product, and every review and piece of feedback coming in was positive. I couldn’t have been happier.

As for William and me, we were still practically strangers to each other. We hadn’t fucked yet or anything. We were just a conventional Alpha and Luna to each other, playing our roles with nothing more than professional courtesy between us.

But I still had to attend meetings, conferences, and interviews .. showing myself as the face of the product and its creator.

"Who do you attribute this success to?" one interviewer asked me.

"Two people," I replied, turning to face the she-wolf asking the question. "First, Mr. Cipher, the Bloodmoon librarian, and second, Ms. Ashlyn. They took me in like I was their own. They backed me up completely and poured knowledge into me."

It was fascinating to watch how my invention had changed lives. People were speaking of how food was more than enough in their homes now. The pups and the wolves were all smiling and laughing. I was so grateful to have been given this much wisdom .. to have built something that actually mattered.

I barely even had time to eat. Food hadn’t touched my lips until much later, when I was finally done with the enormous mountain of work that sat on my shoulders every day.

The Icefang chef was a beautiful woman. Her aesthetics and her approach to work were both deeply admirable.

"What would you like to eat, Luna?" she asked, and it felt good being called that.

"I’ll have anything on today’s menu .. just make sure there are enough veggies in it," I told her, and she concurred immediately.

She wasn’t gone long. When she came back, I could smell the aroma of the food from halfway across the room, and I was already ignited. The moment she set it down in front of me, I didn’t waste a single second .. I just started digging in.

Potatoes and veggies with a fresh farm juice. She didn’t hesitate to mention that she had used my product to process the juice.

Then I remembered .. I was supposed to eat with my husband, the Alpha. But he was taking too long to come back. He must have had a gruelling day at the council.

I understood. Building a territory from scratch was no easy task.

He finally walked in just as I was finishing the last of my meal. I called out to the chef and told her to bring the Alpha’s portion.

"How was your day, William?" I asked.

"Meetings here and there. There’s so much to be done in Icefang," he said, and he looked completely sincere. The exhaustion was written all over his face.

"I have to start assisting you with some meetings and formalities," I said.

He laughed. "You’re a businesswoman. Kindly focus on your business, please."

I wasn’t moved by his brush-off. I just felt it was my job, and I intended to do it.

"It’s my duty as Luna, William. What did you marry me for?"

He looked at me for a long moment. "Even if you did nothing for me, the fact that you’re my wife and my Luna is enough for a lifetime," he said.

I thought to myself .. pure flattery.

"I can’t accept that, William. I have to do something," I replied firmly.

He thought about it. "Alright. You haven’t given your speech as Luna yet. We can start with that," he said.

"I haven’t done that before. How do I.."

"No need to worry," he cut me off. "I’m here. I’ll help you."

You’ll help me? He said yes.

Maybe he was trying to get closer to me, or maybe he was trying to make an impression .. but either way, it was genuinely kind of him.

For the rest of that night, we drafted, trashed, and redrafted until we landed on the best and most perfect speech to present to the people of Icefang. When we finally hit it .. punched it right in the spot .. we both knew it was the one.

He confirmed with me, "Do you like this one? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I love this one. My main point is giving them something achievable .. not being absolutely delusional when we’re just getting started," I told him.

"I’ll be here to help you actualise everything written on that piece of paper," William said.

The speech was announced to everyone, and they were all excited to be there. I could tell from the loud cheers and chants that carried through the air.

My wardrobe had to reflect both sides of who I was. Dual attire, because I was a she-wolf in business and a Luna at the same time. And wherever I went, I had to be surrounded by people.

My dressing room was full of them. Different voices coming from every direction .. I had to strain my ears just to catch what any one person was actually saying. It wasn’t easy.

"The Luna’s hem is too much." "Don’t apply too much makeup .. we don’t want to give a false impression." "Is the car ready? The Queen cannot be late."

"Enough! Order!" I snapped at all of them.

They fell silent immediately and went back to their tasks with precision.

When we were done, I headed straight to the car. I’d had to raise my voice because the weight of being Luna was already enormous .. I didn’t need them adding to the pile.

The car that had been arranged for me was large, sleek, and undeniably luxurious.

A Bentley. William was already seated inside when the door was opened for me and I slid in.

I remembered seeing that car back in Winterwood, but I had never gotten to ride in it. Now I was Luna, and the position demanded a certain kind of luxury. I was beginning to accept that.

We arrived at the venue where everyone had gathered.

I didn’t waste another second. I launched into my speech with William seated beside me the entire time.

"I promise to uphold everything that matters to you. I acknowledge that I am here to serve you, and we will not falter on that. Thank you for choosing me as your Luna and for welcoming me," was among the things I said.

Food, water, security, and education .. those were the foundations I promised them.

"Icefang will become the centre of industrialisation, and it will end up uniting all the territories under Morvaine. That begins very soon," I told them .. and I meant every single word.

Everyone applauded, including my husband, who leaned over afterwards and mentioned that he still needed to choose a Beta.

---

LUCIAN’S POV

The emptiness in my life had only grown more obvious since Selene left.

It was insane, honestly. I hadn’t had a single moment of control in our relationship from the very beginning. She had been the sweetest person I had ever met. She loved me, and I loved her even more .. and yet she had been willing to sacrifice everything to ensure there was no war between territories across the district.

That was when I came to the conclusion that there was no one like Selene. There never would be. I could never love another she-wolf the way I loved her.

I had hoped the goddess would bring us back together someday. But how could I have entertained such a thought? She was married to the Alpha of Icefang now. What kind of life could I have possibly offered her that William couldn’t? I asked myself that and had no answer.

Since she hadn’t been selfish about any of it, I decided I wouldn’t be selfish either. I told her I was sorry, and I made peace with the fact that she was gone.

I only wished I could have told her how it felt to watch her get married. How it felt to see her walk down that aisle in a ceremony where I should have been the groom. I wished I could have told her about the pain .. the hollow, crushing void that opened in my chest knowing she was no longer mine. I wondered if she had felt even a fraction of the same.

I was happy for her, though. She was moving forward. I had seen that she launched her product and that it was selling in massive numbers.

I had even been the one who pushed the chief manufacturer of Winterwood to ensure that product went live .. and it did. All we could do now was be proud of the results.

She had become a millionaire in the space of a week.

I was so damn proud of her. She was the strongest wolf I had ever known. Despite everything she had survived and endured, she had used every single wound as a stepping stone to become something great.

"What will you eat, sir?" the chef asked me for what must have been the twelfth time. I hadn’t eaten in days. Selene wasn’t here to suggest anything, so what was the point? I asked myself.

I literally dragged myself to the meeting with the council elders. I was emotionally hollow and physically weak from not eating. No one in Winterwood had ever seen me like that.

"Welcome, Alpha. We have a very important discussion," one of the elders said.

I could already guess what they wanted to talk about .. and I was right. A new Luna.

"I’m not up for this discussion," I said, and I walked out of the meeting.

Something they would no doubt term disrespectful.